200 years later, Shelley's Monster is all fight and no fright.

In Lionsgate's spinoff of Mary Shelley's classic horror story, 200 years have passed since the abominable creation of Victor Frankenstein's creature, who in this movie is simply called "Adam." A lot's changed in that time, and any knowledge of Frankenstein or his work has all but vanished from human history. However, behind the scenes, a centuries-old war wages between gargoyles and demons, and Adam finds himself caught in the middle, as he discovers that he holds the key to immortality, and thus the fate of humankind.

In I, Frankenstein, Eckhart's creature looks less like a terrifying monster and more like a scarred-up J. Crew model, but he's otherwise grounded in Shelley's original depiction of the character. Adam is a thoughtful, complex and well-spoken individual; he just hasn't tapped into his own humanity yet. That begins to change when he meets Terra (played by Yvonne Strahovski), a human scientist who, as luck would have it, is attempting to unlock the secrets of human reanimation. Unbeknownst to her, she's also working for Naberius (Bill Nighy), the demon leader, who's hellbent on wiping out the human race.

So yeah, I, Frankenstein's not a masterclass in storytelling, but you've got to hand it to writer-director Stuart Beattie (30 Days of Night, G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra) for building a world that feels markedly different from past iterations of Frankenstein. There's quite a bit of backstory on the gargoyle culture in particular, which in itself is pretty interesting. Here, the idea is that gargoyles were sent to Earth from Heaven to silently protect humanity, and they take on stone forms to conceal their existence. The demon side of things is a bit more predictable, but it's ultimately Adam's struggle in forging his own path that becomes the central focus of the story.

Eckhart's performance here is good, although he's portraying a character that's inherently stoic and uncaring. It's actually his scenes with Miranda Otto, who plays the gargoyle queen Leonore, that are the most striking, and their strong, on-screen dynamic helps elevate some of the film's heavy-handed dialogue. Sadly, Nighy's phoned-in villain character is completely generic and the obvious weak link of the supernatural trio.

Meanwhile, Strahovski's Terra, who represents one of only two human characters in the movie, adds a much-needed sense of reality to the story. Without her character, you probably wouldn't even know that this world is supposed to take place in ours. At no point do any of the humans see the chaos that ensues in their city streets, nor do they take notice of the giant, lavish church that's completely occupied by gargoyles.

Yes, like the demons, the gargoyles disguise themselves as humans, but they're also constantly dressed up like Lord of the Rings characters, which kind of defeats the point. Ergo, Terra is the viewer's only link to humanity, unless you count the undead Adam. As for Strahovski, she plays her part well, even if her character sometimes doesn't react accordingly to the crazy-ass s*** that's happening around her (though she does have one of the pic's few laugh-out-loud moments when she first encounters a demon).

Now, most of this stuff wouldn't be much of a problem if I, Frankenstein were a little more lax in its tone, but the truth is that the writing takes itself way too seriously. Given the gritty nature of the film combined with the outlandish premise, I would say that this story might have made a better graphic novel than a movie, but it turns out that it actually is based on a graphic novel, penned by Underworld scribe Kevin Grevioux (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Beattie). With that in mind, it makes more sense that I, Frankenstein doesn't quite ebb as a standalone feature -- although I can't speak for the quality of the comic either.

Luckily, the action is pretty sweet-looking, and that's really the selling point of I, Frankenstein anyway. Beattie's direction is high-octane and suitably Gothic, and features visually impressive choreography and set pieces. Above all, this film is an action-thriller, not a drama or a horror flick, and it should be viewed that way. Basically, as long as your only expectation for this movie is that Aaron Eckhart beats the living snot out of some demons and gargoyles, then you won't be disappointed. It's popcorn fare, plain and simple.

I personally saw the movie in IMAX 3D, and it actually didn't look too bad. There were a few good fight scenes that popped thanks to the 3D effect. However, the IMAX screen didn't add much, and occasionally it accentuated some of the film's less-than-stellar visual effects. On the whole, I'd probably recommend the 3D, but not the bigger screen experience.

I, Frankenstein Wiki

The Verdict

Lionsgate's I, Frankenstein offers a unique take on the Frankenstein story, using Mary Shelley's classic novel as the jumping-off point. However, the movie isn't quite dramatic enough to pull off the weighty themes from the book, nor is it groundbreaking enough to leave its mark on the Frankenstein canon; it doesn't even really have any elements of horror. In the end, it's I, Frankenstein's action scenes that will appeal most to viewers, and there's definitely plenty of that to fill an hour and a half.

Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love by following @Max_Nicholson on Twitter, or MaxNicholson on IGN.